Tue Feb 17th 2026

10 Rookies I Rank Higher than the Pros at DLF

Elijah Sarratt

• Sarratt is my 7th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 12th by the pros at DLF.
• Sarratt may not have had a prospect profile with 247Sports before he signed with James Madison University, but by the time he followed coach Cignetti to Indiana, he was a four-star in the transfer portal. He had 1191 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns his sophomore year at JMU, and became the leading receiver on the Hoosiers’ championship season his senior year. He was their touchdown maker on the National Championship team, scoring 15 times. He and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza could not be stopped in the red zone, and their incredibly consistent and productive back-shoulder throws all over the field throughout the season. His big frame, body positioning, and great hands impressed me most, in addition to his dominance against top competition in the Big 10 and in the NCAA playoffs this season, when he had 7 catches for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. I am highly confident that his skills will translate to the NFL as a prototypical X receiver, making him my 4th-ranked rookie wide receiver in this year’s class. Whereas he is the 6th-ranked wide receiver in DLF’s rankings. Denzel Boston and KC Conecepcion will almost assuredly get drafted ahead of Sarratt. Still, I am more confident in Sarratt’s ability to produce in the NFL and on dynasty rosters than I am in guys who will get drafted a round ahead of him. Sarratt would have to fall significantly in the NFL draft or get drafted to a terrible team and situation for me to move him further down my rookie rankings.

Chris Brazzell

• Brazzell is my 7th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 14th by the pros at DLF.
• Like many dynasty analysts, I normally fade Tennessee wide receivers in rookie drafts. In fact, I don’t remember ever drafting the receivers who have recently entered the NFL draft, like Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, or Velus Jones, though I did add D’onte Thornton off the waiver wire in many leagues last year. So far, not drafting Tennessee receivers has proven wise. As I began studying Brazzell, I fully expect to fade him, as I did with the many Tennessee receivers before him. This time, however, I was blown away and surprised, and was willing for the first time ever to buy in on Brazzell. He transferred to Tennessee from Tulane, where he had 711 yards receiving and five touchdowns in his second year. He did not break out immediately in his first year at Tennessee, but he had a remarkable second and last season, with 1017 yards and 9 touchdowns.  His 6’ 5” frame makes him one of the biggest receivers in this class, but his body control and crisp route running are what impressed me the most. He’s incredibly quick off the line of scrimmage and tracks the ball very well. He, too, is a prototypical X receiver who will make an immediate impact in the NFL and on dynasty rosters. He’s my 5th-ranked rookie wide receiver. I could see moving him ahead of Sarratt, depending on his draft capital and landing spot. The two of them are neck and neck for me atop the second tier of receivers in this year’s class. The pros at DLF have Omar Cooper, Sarratt’s teammate at Indiana, ranked ahead of Brazzell, along with the already mentioned Boston and Concepcion. I’d much rather take a chance on the higher upside I see in Brazzell. He and Sarratt will remain atop my second tier, no matter where they are drafted or who is drafted ahead of them. All that remains is which one I will ultimately rank ahead of the other.

Emmett Johnson

• Johnson is my 12th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 19th by the pros at DLF.
• I was extremely surprised to see that Johnson was much lower in DLF’s rankings than mine. I thought I might even be low on Johnson in my rankings. I have Jonah Coleman ranked much lower in my rankings than DLF, but more on that next week. Still, I was sure that DLF and other analysts would have Coleman ranked much closer together in their rookie rankings as a stand-alone second tier with Jardarion Price and Coleman. Instead, DLF has Johnson as a third-tier back with the Penn State duo, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytorn Allen. I, on the other hand, have Johnson as my third-ranked running back, ahead of Coleman by 3 spots, and 7 and 8 spots higher than the Penn State guys. Johnson was not highly recruited, and it took him four years to break out at Nebraska, but his final season was incredible, with 1,451 yards rushing, 370 receiving, and 15 total touchdowns. He was second in the nation in total yards from scrimmage. He was a complete workhorse with 251 carries, proving he can handle a heavy load. He was fourth in the country in plays from scrimmage, too. In my eyes, he’s the second-best all-around back in this class behind Jeremyiah Love. He can do it all, including work in the red zone and short-yardage situations. He’s super quick, has excellent jump cuts, and reads his blocks well. I love everything about him in his final year in college. His late-career breakout and three-star rankings as a recruit are the only strikes against him, but his fantastic final season outweighs those factors for me. If he falls in the draft or gets selected by a team with a proven veteran ahead of him, I will move him down my rankings a bit, but I am pretty confident he’ll be the third or fourth running back drafted in this class and will certainly get drafted on day three, most likely in the second round even. In a class with few solid running backs, an NFL team will reach for Johnson. I think dynasty managers should do the same.

Antonio Williams

• Williams is my 14th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 26th by the pros at DLF.
• I 100% knew I would be higher on Williams than other dynasty analysts, so this 12-spot difference in our rankings was no surprise. When I begin to study the rookie class, I start with quarterbacks. When studying Cade Klubnick, Williams stood out the most. When it came time to study receivers, I already knew I liked him. Williams was the 6th-ranked receiver nationally in his recruiting class. He played instantly as a freshman and had 56 receptions and 604 yards in his first season at Clemson. He was injured in his second year and received a redshirt year. His third year was his best with 74 catches, 904 yards, and 11 touchdowns. In his final season, he battled injuries and was not as productive as he was in 2024. Still, the film stood out to me the most. He doesn’t have a single stand-out trait, but he’s just smooth. He has a knack for finding soft spots in zones and running routes in a way to get open. After seeing the difference between my rankings and those of other experts, I have to consider that the Clemson offense may be an important factor in Williams’s production. The same could be true for every player, I suppose, but maybe contributed too much of Williams’s getting open to as opposed to or in addition to the schemes. I’m willing to reconsider Williams in my rankings, but I want to hear more from professional scouts as I continue my studies over the next month. I do know that when I sent my list of players I expected to be way higher on than others to my friend Josh Chevalier, a college fantasy football professional, he told me he liked all the players on my list except Williams. I’ll rightfully reconsider Williams’s ranking in the coming weeks and after the NFL Combine.

Ja'Kobi Lane

• Lane is my 17th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 22nd by the pros at DLF.
• Lane was a four-star recruit and played opposite my number one-ranked wide receiver in this class, Makai Lemon, at USC. His final season was less impressive than his second when he scored 12 touchdowns, but Lemon’s domination in the passing game for USC last year is the primary cause for his modest drop off. Still, Lane was just as productive as Lemon the previous year and could easily be a top-tier receiver in the league if he played for another team. His career highlights are what stood out to me most and made me rank him five spots higher than the pros at DLF. He plays with a very cocky, competitive attitude, and he backs it up. He effectively uses his 6’4” frame to box out defensive backs on slants, posts, curls, and out routes, and he’s excellent at high-pointing the ball in the end zone. I am confident that an NFL team will fall in love with his tape and see that he could have been way more productive in his final season if he were not playing opposite my WR-1 in this class. I’ll reach on him in rookie drafts this May, as an NFL team will in April.

Malachi Fields

• Fields is my 21st-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 39th by the pros at DLF.
• Fields began his college career as a three-star recruit as an athlete, not a receiver. He played four years at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame for a fifth year.  After two solid years at Virginia, each with more than 55 catches, 800 yards, and five touchdowns, he became a four-star transfer and stayed in school for one final season at Notre Dame. He didn’t improve upon his production at Virginia, but he became the Irish’s deep threat with 17.5 yards per catch last season. He’s another one of the many big-bodied X receivers in this class. I have to admit that the positive reports from practice at the Senior Bowl and his big-play ability made me like him perhaps more than I should. He’s a one-trick pony, but his one trick is pretty good. He’s much bigger than  defensive backs, has great hands, and high-points the ball extremely well. About 50% of his highlights are simple go routes where he beats defensive backs or outplays them for the ball, but he also has good out-routes, curls, and posts on tape, and he looks great on those too. Fields is not the type of wide receiver I normally rank higher than other dynasty analysts, but I did this time. I’m willing to reconsider my position on Fields after I read and listen to more scouting reports from the professionals. Still, I would never rank him as far back as the pros at DLF have him ranked at 39th. I would definitely take a chance on him in rookie drafts before then, no matter where he is drafted.  

Skyler Bell

• Bell is my 22nd-ranked rookie, while he is not ranked in the top 39 by the pros at DLF.
• I was very surprised not to see Bell ranked by DLF, especially since I heard some of their analysts grade him as a prospect on a recent podcast. I am sure it’s just a matter of time before he’s in their rankings and moves up significantly. Bell is an undersized and underestimated wide receiver who finished fourth in the NCAA with 101 receptions last year. He played three years at Wisconsin before transferring to Connecticut for his final two seasons. He could have transferred out before his last season, but he was loyal to his hometown team and rewarded them with an incredible final season with 101 receptions, 1278 yards, and 13 touchdowns. As you can imagine, a season like that would create quite the highlight reel. I may have been seduced by his highlight and tremendous production, and thus ranked him higher than I should. I’m willing to admit that. Still, his versatility of skills is impressive. He wins out wide and as a slot. He wins on the line of scrimmage and in motion. He finds soft spots in zones and wins against man coverage. He is an incredible weapon who would need to be drafted by a team willing and able to scheme him open, as his college team did, so his landing spot may significantly change his ultimate rookie ranking. I may be a little too excited about Bell, but I am eager to see if other dynasty analysts think he can go from the small school to the big time, as I did initially.

Justin Joly

• Joly is my 24th-ranked rookie, while he is not ranked in the top 39 by the pros at DLF.
• I don’t think I have ever had a tight end as my number one sleeper in a class, but this year I think it might be Joly. He was a two-star prospect who played with Connecticut before Skyler Bell arrived, then transferred to North Carolina State for his final two seasons. He was a four-star in the transfer portal after his impressive second season in Connecticut. He averaged almost 600 yards receiving per year in his last season at Connecticut and his two seasons at North Carolina State. He led the Wolfpack in receiving yards and touchdowns, becoming the centerpiece of the offense. He earned first-team all-ACC honors, too. He’s excellent after the catch, too, so the Wolfpack used him on tight-end screens often. He’s just an incredibly big and athletic player who makes plays. My only fear is that he does really well in the NFL Combine, and then everyone shoots him up their rookie draft boards. I hope he stays a sleeper so I can draft him often. I don’t think he will hit the ground running in the NFL like so many tight ends did this season, but he’ll develop and become a viable starter for an NFL team and a lot of dynasty teams.  He’ll be ranked by the pros at DLF soon enough, but never as high as I will have him.

Drew Allar

• Allar is my 26th-ranked rookie, while he is ranked 35th by the pros at DLF.
• Really,Allar is my QB-2 in this class, but I know Ty Simpson will get drafted in the first round and far ahead of Allar. That said, among all the other quarterbacks that are selected in this year’s draft, Allar will remain my personal favorite unless landing spots make clear that he’ll play as a backup behind a proven veteran or another quarterback is drafted with a very real chance to play early. All of that to say, I know I am way higher on Allar right now, but that’s because I liked his best college tape better than other’s best college tape and I always increase my hope in a player who was the number one ranked quarterback in the coutry in his recruiting class and was once a top-tier devy player before his dropoff in play last season. His big body and strong arm impress me more than those of the other quarterbacks in this class. I’m far more intrigued to see what he can become than the rest of this quarterback class. I have Allar and Cade Klubnik in a tier of their own in this class, with Mendoza and Simpson far ahead of them, and all the others far behind.

Kaelon Black

• Black is my 28th-ranked rookie, while he is not ranked in the top 39 by the pros at DLF.
• Black was a two-star prospect who signed with James Madison and joined coach Cignetti and Elijah Sarratt in the move from JMU to Indiana to become NCAA champions. Roman Hemby may have led the team in carries and rushing, but Black is a far better NFL prospect in my eyes. He, like Justin Joly, will be one of my favorite sleepers in this class unless his draft capital falls terribly low. Even if it does, I see him as a player who could rise, like Kyle Monangai did this last season. I’d even compare their styles of play to one another. He’s a hard-nosed runner, but equally swift and fast. He’s the kind of running back that hits a hole and always gets what’s there for him, but can also break a big play when given the slightest crease. I’m very confident that his style of play will allow him to contribute right away in the NFL and become a surprise starter, depending on the depth chart of the team that drafts him. His landing spot will matter a lot, but it will not change how I think about him as a player. He’s one of my favorite sleepers in this class.  It’s too bad I have to write about it and let all my competition know about it!

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